What is the Acid Alkaline Diet?

The basics of the Acid Alkaline Diet, also known as the alkaline diet or the alkaline acid diet, are simple. The foods in the diet are centered on include fresh fruit, vegetables, roots, tubers, nuts and legumes.

The History of the Acid Alkaline Diet

Many years ago, the hunters and the gatherers in tribes all over the world ate diets that were extremely different from the foods we consume today. The primary resources for food were things that grew naturally and the meats that were available after successful hunting.

After the inception of tools, the wheat and other grains that grew wild on the lands were crushed to make flours of differing varieties. With the domesticating of livestock, which were wild on the lands, various forms of dairy products were also introduced to the diet.

The Evolution of Food

Inside of the body, nearly every food we eat is transformed into some type of acid or alkaline substance that is later excreted into the blood stream. With the transformation of the traditional diet from the gatherer style of eating to the more industrial or Western style of eating, the acidity in the body rose dramatically. Grains, fish, meat, poultry and dairy products all excrete acids into the blood stream.

The body’s natural levels of alkalinity range from 7.35 to 7.45. This slight alkalinity is thought to be damaged by the acidity of the diets we now consume. At the heart of the acid alkaline diet is the return to the body’s natural alkaline state.

Why the Alkaline Diet?

There are many reasons why people decide to embark upon the alkaline diet. Several of which include a decrease in energy, anxiety, nervous feelings, headaches, frequent colds and more.

While doctors do believe there are health benefits to be had from increasing the major foods eaten on the alkaline diet, few accept the fact that the benefits have anything to do with the alkalinity of the foods.

Proven Health Benefits

Unfortunately there have been no major scientific studies relating to the effectiveness of the acid alkaline diet. There have been, however, several smaller studies released that support the premise behind the acid alkaline diet. One such study suggested that the changed in diet over the last 200 years are to be reversed for good health.

The acid alkaline diet is not a diet for everyone. When choosing to start a new diet of this caliber, it is important to keep your doctor informed of the changes you are making in your diet.

These changes can adversely affect the medications you may be taking for illness and infection. Otherwise, if you are a healthy individual take a step out of the Industrial and back in time 5000 years to eat like a hunter gatherer.